Kotter International helps leaders accelerate strategy implementation in their organizations. We employ the knowledge and research of Dr. John Kotter, the Konosuke Matsushita Professor of Leadership, Emeritus at Harvard Business School.
Kotter International helps organizations become more agile and move faster, with alignment and acceleration. Combining deep business acumen and experience, we provide the guidance that helps our clients implement their strategies through the 8-Step Process for Leading Change.

Excite Employees by Tapping Their Minds and Hearts

Leaders often struggle to connect with employees about organizational goals in a way that appeals to both the head and the heart. This is something many processes for creating change tend to miss, but I’ve found it’s an essential catalyst for truly changing behavior.

Dennis Goin: Mike, a lot of process that I’ve seen—I know you’ve worked with some and I’ve worked with some—they look like great processes but they tend to be missing part of it, they don’t create a change in behavior, they tend to be surface-oriented, they tend to be process-within-an-organization driven and people have a hard time adopting them. And I’ve always been—ours tends to get at something different, it allows people to go there, how do you see that?

Mike Evans: A couple of thoughts. First of all I think with the processes that you’ve mentioned, those types of efforts, oftentimes people see that as something being done to them.

Dennis Goin: Yes.

Mike Evans: It’s not a want to, it’s a have to. So there’s natural resistance even if they see that there’s a benefit to it. If someone sees something being done to them or they’re being forced to do something, it’s just human nature to push back.

Dennis Goin: Right.

Mike Evans: And if you’re married you know how that goes. But what’s truly unique about our work is that it allows individuals to connect to what we’re trying to do within an organization both through the head and the heart.

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I’ve always subscribed to the 3-H philosophy of change management. First, appeal to the Heart, then to the Head, and finally to the Hands. Start with the emotional hook, justify the change rationally, and then institute the new behavior.